Something So Beautiful
by Misusedghost1998
Summary: Johanna Mason and Katniss Everdeen both ended up in the 74th annual Hunger Games, competing for their lives and glory. However, what happens when the two form an uncanny alliance and an unbreakable bond? Will their love help them survive the games or will the pressure and events throw them overboard and cause their romance to break down? Let the odds be ever in their favor.
1. Chapter 1

District Seven was still. Not even a woodpecker dared to sound as the reaping was assembled outside the hall. The guards stood so motionless and so intimidating that the usual gale of wind had cowered down to a gentle breeze. The reaping was a sight to sicken anyone entered, especially those with extra tesserae- like Johanna Mason.

Johanna had attempted to stand and watch their idiotic escort prepare the stage, but had given up and migrated to the forest. The countless children sobbing with fear was too much for her to handle, so she sat alone on the brush of the woodland, staring out over 7; staring at the land she'd sacrificed so much for over the past 7 years. Her brother was among the terrified children. He'd turned 13 the previous week. Johanna had once again taken extra tesserae in order to buy him a cake. She'd long lost count of how many slips of paper in that forsaken glass bowl contained her name, but every slip had been worth it in the past.

The lumberjack merely watched the toe of her axe calve a dent into the tree root bellow her, admiring how the old, filthy bark scraped away to form a new, marvelous green underlay. Something so beautiful uncovered from something so broken and filthy. With a simple sigh, she penetrated the blade of her axe into the tree besides her and lay back, gazing up at the clouded sky beyond the branches of the trees, once again discovering herself thinking about the feared reaping. Everyone in Seven knew that Johanna was one of the most skilled young fighters they had, and so did Johanna herself, yet it didn't stop that sheer horror of the thought of being reaped.

Countless times Johanna had found herself wandering what it'd be like if she was to be reaped. She wanders what the journey to the Capitol would be like and wanders about the array of delicious foods and drinks- everything her heart (or stomach) would desire. The thought of that part always caused the girls stomach to give an agonizing growl. She places her hand on her thin yet toned abdomen and loses herself in the tantalizing sky again, thinking about the selection of weapons she'd be able to handle in training. This brings a small smirk to her face.

She'd have volunteered to enter the games by now, if it wasn't for her brother. Johanna couldn't bring herself to leave him alone. She had enough boiling anger to tear down any brutal enemy in her way after the events of her past years. Her father's execution triggered the rage inside of her. He protested when a District 7 tribute was wrongly killed by the elements the game makers set upon him. This had lead to her father being bludgeoned to death before her very eyes. Since then, no tears have formed in Johanna's eyes, only burning desire for revenge.

Not a tear did form when her mother too, passed away; leaving Johanna and her young brother alone in the world. Her mother had died of infection, being as Johanna had already taken her months tesserae, therefore couldn't afford to buy her mother antiseptic to clean the infected wound. The death, as far as Johanna thought, was her fault entirely. At first, this triggered a ruthless self hatred, but over time, it morphed into an aggressive hate of the ways of Panem.

The sound of a branch snapping drew Johanna from her thoughts and she shot up, tugged her axe from the tree and looked around swiftly to locate the trespasser. When all she saw was her young brother hid behind a tree, she lets out a breath of relief and gets to her feet, walking in the general direction of the hiding boy with a smirk. "I wander what that could have been?" she said teasingly before reaching around the trunk to grab her brother by the shoulder, rubbing her knuckles into his head with a grin. He has to thump at her toned stomach before she lets go- having realized her own strength was too much. Johanna sits down again, draping her arms over her knees as she looks up at the dark haired boy. "What's wrong, Donnie?" she frowns.

Donnie sat beside his sister and copies her stance, shrugging a bony shoulder. "M'scared" he admits and Johanna smiled sadly at him, nudging him with her elbow causing the boy to chuckle, flicking his overgrown fringe from his eyes. He looks up into his sister' eyes, expressing an emotion Johanna wasn't used to seeing. Donnie was such a strong boy.

"Your name is only in there once, kid" she informs him in an attempt to ease his worry but the boy shakes his head, looking at Johanna with a frown.

"No, I'm not worried about that" he shrugs, looking at the exact dent Johanna had previously formed in the root below them, "I'm scared you're going to be picked."

* * *

It'd been a lousy day attempting to hunt on twelve. All of the animals the woods provided had been scared off by the disruptive hovercraft entering the quaint district. Katniss Everdeen huffs and places her bow and arrow back beneath the rock she hid it under before making her way to the fence, slipping under its barbed wire and strolling languidly back into the city, admiring the homely forest and the still lake before she came to the clearing, gazing through the trees at the sight of her home town. The hideous intrusion to the Hall of Justice- the reaping stage- had been set up and Katniss attempts to ignore its presence as she walks straight to her house, smiling politely at the friendly citizens whom wished her luck for the following events.

She enters her run-down home and smiles at her mother and Primrose, her sister, whom were both in her bedroom as her mother's trembling fingers attempted to braid Prim's silky blonde hair. Katniss removes of her bag and walks up to her mother's side.

"Let me" she whispers, taking her sisters' hair into her hands and producing a flawless braid in it effortlessly. Katniss pulls away and returns the loving smile Prim gave her before glancing at the light blue dress the girl wore with a smile of adoration. "That's a very nice dress" she says, despite the fact she'd despise wearing one herself. On her sister, it looked beautiful. "You'll make a brilliant first impression. Every year they'll be back waiting to see what amazing dress you wear next." She teases in a light-hearted attempt to lift the mood.

"Good that you're fond of the dress" Ms Everdeen intrudes; motioning to the garment laid out on Katniss' bed- a matching cloth dress. Katniss fakes a smile of thanks and traces her nimble fingers along its hem, sitting down on the edge of her bed. "I'll let you get dressed" Katniss' mother says before leaving the room with a soft thud of the wooden door. Katniss offers a belated nod and glances at her sister, giving a somber smile.

"How are you feeling?" she asks Primrose, reaching into her jacket pocket to pull out a tattered ball of linen Greasy Sae had given her on her visit to the Hob earlier and frowns, inspecting the greasy material with her curious fingers before realizing it contained something hard. She pulls back the filthy material and it scraped away to expose a new, marvelous golden pin. The pin resembled a mockingjay, surrounded by a golden hoop. Katniss was intrigued by it instantly and smiles at the flawless gold. Something so beautiful uncovered from something so broken and filthy.

"I'm scared I'll get picked" Prim replies, snapping Katniss from her thoughts as she places the pin besides the dress and slips her jacket off. Katniss shakes her head and crouches down in front of her sister, placing a supportive hand on her arm and caressing her skin with her thumb, looking into her younger sisters' eyes.

"You won't be chosen, your name is only in there once" she says surely, which was more than Katniss could say about how many times her name was in the dreaded glass bowl. Prim smiles and nods shyly, getting up and giving a twirl in her flawless dress. Katniss chuckles in adoration at the movement. "Beautiful" she says proudly as Prim leaves her to change.

* * *

"In my seven years of being entered, I've never understood why these games even take place" Johanna sighs, walking through the town alongside her closest and only friend- Francesca, watching Donnie solemnly walk ahead, his head bowed as he leads the way to their home. Francesca had been there for Johanna from the beginning, helping her through every tragedy, every dilemma and every mental breakdown. She owed a lot to her friend, in all honestly. Johanna swings her axe by her side as they walk, glancing at the other girl in wait of a response. Frankie shrugs her thin shoulders and runs her fingers through her short, spunky hair as she glances back at her friend.

"To keep us scared" she taller girl says, stopping in her tracks as they reach Johanna's home, leaning against the wooden cabin. Johanna scoffs in repulsion and leans in front of her, arms folded.

"They do nothing but elicit anger" Johanna says, clenching her jaw as she looks beyond the other girl at the citizens of district seven, standing on their doorsteps, preparing their children for the dreaded event, giving them what could possibly be their final hug. She finally tears her gaze away and meets Francesca's eyes. "How many times is your name in there this year?" she whispers, so that Donnie doesn't hear the response as he sits on the front step, kicking at a couple of pebbles.

"35" Frankie replies in the same hushed tone, watching Donnie carefully. "Better than last year" she shrugs before swallowing thickly and looking into Johanna's intoxicating eyes, biting her lip, "You?" she finally asks, terrified of the answer, as always.

Johanna scoffs before shaking her head, glancing at the ground with a small smile hung on her lips. "I lost count after 40" she whispers finally and Francesca's heart sinks. She stares at her friend silently until her elderly grandmother calls for her from the window of her home, opposite Johanna's. "I'll see you at the reaping" she says to Johanna, who still stood staring at the ground beneath them. The black haired girl nods and looks up finally, flashing a smile to her best friend.

"See you at the reaping" she repeats, watching the girl leave before turning to her brother, extending a hand for him in order to help him to his feet before guiding him into the run down house and into their shared bedroom, motioning to the double bed in which she'd laid out two new, white shirts, two pairs of trousers and two thin, black neck ties. Donnie gasps at the new, clean clothes and picks up all of the garments in his size, admiring them with a huge grin. Johanna smiles proudly, _well worth the extra five tesserae, _she thinks. The boy wordlessly pulls the clothes on and buttons up the shirt before picking up the tie and frowning. Johanna kneels down in front of him and untucks his collar, placing the tie around his neck as she ties it, folding his collar back down and standing. "You look very handsome" she smiles, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'll buy you something new every reaping" she promises.

Donnie throws his arms around his older sister and hugs her tightly before pulling back. "I love you" he whispers and Johanna's lips quiver into a smile, ruffling his hair playfully as he pulls away from the much needed embrace.

"I love you too, kiddo" she chuckles as he leaves. Johanna walks up to the mirror and pulls her shirt on, reapplying the binding around her chest before slowly dressing into the new shirt and trousers, tightening the knot of her tie but leaving the shirt loose. _My last reaping_ she thinks, _I can do this. _

* * *

Trying to calm down Prim was proving rather difficult for Katniss. On the way to the reaping, Primrose stopped countess times, struggling for breath. Katniss' numerous attempts to calm her had finally begun to work and the pair signed into the reaping- Katniss with the rest of the 16 year olds and Prim among the 13 year olds.

All fell silent as Effie Trinket shuffled onto the stage in over sized heels, sporting a ridiculous Capitol couture outfit and outrageously large hair. She taps the microphone and clears her throat, announcing an overjoyed welcome to the reaping of the 74th annual Hunger Games. At this point, Katniss zones out. She looks around, meeting the eyes of her best friend, Gale, who mouths a comedic insult to Effie's outfit. Katniss smiles and looks back at the ground, thinking about when the best time to hunt tonight would be. It wasn't until her ears picked up the ever so familiar sentence of _ladies first_ that she looks up at the stage. Effie was shuffling towards the first glass bowl containing hundreds of slips of paper. The camera zooms in on her as she rolls her hand around hesitantly in the bowl before grasping a slip and pulling it out victoriously, making her way back to the center of the stage. She clears her throat and opens the slip. "Primrose Everdeen!" she calls.

Time itself seemed to stop still for Katniss, the name ringing in her ears over and over. She swore she heard wrong, frantically looking through the crowd to see who was moving towards the stage. When she spied her younger sister making her way to the stage, tucking the tail of her blouse in, her heart stops beating. The world was surely in slow motion as she pushes carelessly through the crowd of lined people to stagger onto the isle, calling her sisters name to have her echoed back at her. The guards seize her by the arms and attempt to pull her back, but Katniss thrashes out helplessly, constantly calling her sisters name as she guards take her by the arms too.

"Stop!" Katniss yells, pushing the two guards aside and stepping forward. "I volunteer as tribute!"

* * *

Johanna held Donnie's hand tightly as they made their way to the reaping. He was shockingly calm, which Johanna was thankful for. She nervously runs her hair through her black hair and lifts Donnie up as they stands before the registry desk, giving him the height he needed to reach forward and press his bloody fingertip to the paper. She lowers him carefully and signs in herself before leading him towards the blocks of people. Johanna kneels down in front of him and takes him by the arms, looking up into his eyes.

"You go and stand by the front with the other young boys and I'll be right over there" Johanna says, pointing to the back of the female block. "I'll come and get you when it's over" she smiles and he throws himself into her arms again, holding her close for a lingering moment as the older sibling returns the embrace. When they finally pull back, Donnie smiles at Johanna and confidently makes his way down the line to his assigned area. Johanna swallows thickly and stands up, joining the back of the female block.

Their escort was a complete idiot. His bright blue hair made Johanna wretch. His face shone a green tint and his eyes shone with overly heavy makeup as he announced the 74th Hunger Games in an overly squeaky voice. Johanna showed no respect as the video from the Capitol was played and looks for her brother, smiling to herself as she found him safe and besides a friend of his from school. Johanna glances to her left, looking down the row of expressionless people until she found Frankie, looking back at her with a worried expression. _We'll be okay _Johanna mouths as she turns her attention back to the stage- ladies first.

Even Johanna's breath came out ragged in this moment- as Xabier, their escort, rummaged his hand around in the gigantic fish bowl before pulling out a perfectly shaped slip of paper, smiling impatiently as he makes his way back to center stage, oozing over excitement. Johanna rolls her eyes and is about to release a sigh when she hears something unexpected.

"And the female tribute for the 74th annual Hunger Games is… Johanna Mason!"


	2. Chapter 2

In the town halls of both District Seven and District Twelve, all we silent- Johanna Mason sat head in hands, alone in the dark room, to reminisce upon the devastating events of the last half hour. Katniss Everdeen was doing precisely the same, sat utterly mute as she attempts to come to terms with the drastic decision she'd made previously, but she managed to remain calm and collected, strategically thinking through how she'd cope with the following events and how she'd arrange for her family to maintain a healthy and simple life without her presence.

However, when Donnie comes to mind, something switches inside Johanna. Her numb and empty heart begins to pump boiling anger through her veins and she bolts to her feet, slamming herself up the door and pounding her firsts against the splintered wood, yelling and kicking at the door, knowing the guards were on the other side. "Let me go you fucking sick freaks!" she yells, pounding her knee against the door until the pain became unbearable. She chokes on a tearless sob and retreats, backing into the room until her shoulders hit the opposite wall, hands in her hair as her heart thuds loudly in her chest, as if begging for escape from the pain.

She's about to sink down the wall when the door is slammed open. Johanna jolts to her feet and squints at the intrusion of brightness into the gloomy room. For a moment she considers running for escape until her eyes adjust to the light and she recognizes her brother being escorted into the room by a guard. She couldn't act violent and scared in front of him, so takes a deep breath and composes herself and cleanse those emotions from her mind.

"You have three minutes" The guard announces, leaving Donnie to run up to his sister, sobbing, and clutch around her waist tightly, hiding his face in Johanna's abdomen, his tears sinking through her new shirt as she drops to her knees and pulls him closer. The younger boy nuzzles his face wordlessly into Johanna's neck and clutches her with desperation, his fingers scrunching her shirt in his fists. Johanna could feel his heart pounding through his chest and his hands shaking on her back. She swallows the cry and pushes Donnie back gently, looking into his eyes and opening her mouth in order to speak, but not finding the words. What words could truly express how she felt or what she wanted to say? What did she even want or _need _to say? She sighs and closes her mouth again, looking down.

"I don't want you to die" Donnie chokes out, his usually pale face flushed with hot tears. Johanna releases a shaky sigh and caresses up and down the shivering boys' arms. She silently stalls for a lingering moment, attempting to recall what was necessary to be said, before remembering what crossed her mind earlier. She had enough rage to kill anyone and the capability to block out all emotions she felt in order to slaughter anyone. A small smile spreads across her lips and she gently reaches out to tilt Donnie's chin up to face her. He sniffs as his watery eyes meet hers.

"I won't die" she smirks. Donnie drags his wrist beneath his nose and furrows his brow before throwing himself at his sister, unable to resist holding his only relative for what could be their final moments. "I'm going to win this for you" Johanna continues soothingly, arms tight and comforting around the frail boy. "And when I come back home, we can move to live in Victors Village in a nice, huge house with enough goods to buy plenty of food" she smiles at the thought, her aching eyes staring at the muddy floor. "We could even move to the Capitol" she chuckles and Donnie lets out a small breath resembling a giggle. "Get our hair done all stupid and wear that ridiculous clothing." Donnie was smiling now, allowing Johanna's emotions to rest. He nods slowly.

"I know you can do it" He smiles proudly, the colour draining from his cheeks once more as they slowly part from the much needed embrace. He chews on his lip and looks at Johanna, the emotions dead in his eyes. Johanna swallows the lump in her throat. "What now?" he asks and Johanna runs her fingers through her hair nervously, trying to disguise the fact she was trembling. Despite all of this, Johanna still didn't know how to cry, even though she desperately felt she needed to.

"I'm going to go away for a while." She says, getting to her feet again and leaning against the wall casually, but casual was far from how she felt currently. She'd never freaked out as much, and that was an achievement, with Johanna's unstable mental history. Still, Johanna couldn't show these emotions in front of her brother. She needed to remind him that she was always strong- like he needed to be. "Frankie is going to take care of you, and I'll be home in a few weeks" she smiles, blatantly lying to herself, her eyes avoiding Donnie's. "You can watch me on TV every night. I'll look right down that camera and you'll be the only one I'm truly looking at."

Before Donnie could reply, the guard slams the door open again. "Time's up" he announces and steps forward to lead Donnie out as the boy attempted to stand his ground, but his weak body was no match to the strong guard, despite how much he thrashed for release.

"I love you!" he calls desperately, fighting against the emotionless guard, begging for escape, but the door closes before Johanna can reply. She runs up to it and punches it once more, slamming her fist against the wood, regardless of the sharp nails erect from the door which had been misplaced over the years.

"I love you too, Donnie!" she calls, gradually giving up until her fist relaxed against the door, blood trickling down her knuckles.

* * *

Katniss clutched at the windowsill, staring out at twelve as the crowds of relieved people made their ways back home to the life she longed to return to. It'd all happened so quickly that Katniss could barely recall what she'd done, but here she was, segregated in the room that confirmed her worst fears. She was tribute, along with the Bakers Boy- Peeta. She was certain she was going to vomit- the eerie silence and daunting room proving too much for her, so she remains gripping the windowsill, attempting to remain conscious as she soaks in the last look of her district until the door opens quietly and she turns on her heels.

"You have three minutes" the guard announces and Prim makes her way into the room before her mother, her eyes puffed and red from crying. The younger Everdeen released a small sob as she hurried over to Katniss, her dress blowing behind her until she throws her arms around Katniss' waist and holds her tight as her sisters' hands rest her head close to her chest, breathing her name as Prim began to sob.

Katniss drops to her knees in front of Primrose and cups her face in her hands, her thumbs gently swiping away the tears. "Prim, shh, it's okay, don't cry" she coos before taking an insecure breath and attempting to keep composure. "Listen, we don't have much time" she says in a more grave manor, gaze flickering to her mother to assure she hadn't gone into shock like when her father died before looking sternly into her sisters eyes. Prim stood still in anticipation, her lips quivering and tears still streaming. "You're going to be okay" Katniss repeats more sternly, "don't take any extra food from them, it isn't worth putting your name in more times, okay, listen Prim" Katniss reaches out to take her sister's chin in her hand, preventing her from looking away as Katniss speaks the most important words on her mind- the words of protection to her sister. "Gale will bring you grain. You can sell cheese from your goat."

Prim wasn't taking anything in, and Katniss was aware of this, but thankfully her mother sent her a reassuring nod to confirm she understood. Prim was still blinded by tears, gasping for air beyond her cries. "J-just try to win" she stutters, her voice unsettled and weak. Katniss doesn't break eye contact with her sister as her heart beat slows. "Maybe you can" Primrose adds. The words echo in Katniss' mind as her gaze darts between her sisters eyes before she looks at the ground to cover her following bluff.

"Maybe I can" she assures Prim, fingers playing mindlessly with her braid "I am smart you know" Katniss attempts to chuckle, but it fails to sound convincing. The younger girl picked up on this.

"You can hunt" Prim notifies and Katniss nods, confirming what she said, convincing herself more and more that she could actually get somewhere in the games and not just die instantly like she'd previously accepted she would. Katniss places her hands gently on either side of Prim's face and rests their foreheads together, lingering the moment until the door clicks open again. Before Katniss knows it, they're gone, and she's alone again in the room.

* * *

"_You have three minutes"_

Francesca runs into the room and throws her arms tightly around Johanna's neck. Johanna grips at the girls hips and hides her face in her neck, her shoulders hitching in a tearless cry. Frankie caresses through Johanna's hair, holding her head against her and presses her lips to the side of the girls head as she shakes from terror, lingering the moment wordlessly until Johanna retreats and sniffs, looking at her friend with dark eyes. "Keep him save" she begs and Francesca moves her head instantly, cupping Johanna's cheek.

"Of course I will. With my life" Frankie promises, placing her forehead against Johanna's and shutting her sore eyes. "You know you can win this, right?" she continues quietly. Johanna nods hesitantly, her eyes falling shut in the relaxation the girl provided her, "I know you can. You have the brains, the strength, and the ability to slaughter emotionlessly. You can really do this, Johanna. Please, please try to. I can't lose you and neither can Donnie."

"I'll try, I promise. I need to. I'm not leaving you two." She vows, flickering her eyes open again to find Frankie already looking at her intensely. They were interrupted by the door swinging open.

"That wasn't three minutes!" Frankie protests and Johanna pulls back to glare at the guard warningly, but he makes his way towards them nonetheless. Before Johanna could register it, lips had crashed upon hers desperately and a hand gripped the back of her neck. Frankie had kissed her- her best friend since the beginning of school. The girl she'd spent all of her life with. This girl had just kissed her. Johanna struggled to make sense of the situation in her already stressed mine but somehow managed to quickly recuperate the intimate kiss before the lips have left hers as quickly as they came and her friend was dragged from the room, leaving her alone in the dark depths of the room and her mind.

* * *

Both Katniss and Johanna spent their jeep journey to the train station in silence, thinking about the troublesome past events in both of their lives. Their heads rested against the glass window, jerking against the hard surface every time the jeep rode over a pothole in the dishevelled districts. Both girls were still unaware of the other's existence, yet their lives were beginning to play out the same- the way the Capitol wanted them to.

Events seemed to flow quickly from there to both of them. Before she knew it, Johanna was on the stunning train to the Capitol, her greedy eyes met with the display of every type of food she'd ever dreamt of. Katniss didn't care about any of the material of consumable goods when she stepped foot in the train, but only cared about getting advice from their mentor who happened to be the most disgusting man she'd ever seen. Her mood slowly dropped to a complete antisocial numbness as she realized how tiny her chance in these games truly was- all she had was the stench of alcohol and the sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach, whereas Johanna was still allowing herself to feast upon the huge array of foods, the uneasy feeling in her stomach soon becoming unrelated to the past events.

After managing to engage in a small amount of tactical conversation with their mentors, Johanna and Katniss both retired to their quarters in the separate trains, each girl having differing emotions about the coming events. As Johanna slipped her clothes off and lay on the huge queen sized bed, she was buzzing with excitement to finally set foot in the Capitol, whereas Katniss was considering jumping from the train to escape it. Over the course of the night, both girls grew increasingly numb of emotion and their eyes flickered shut, the lights of different districts flickering past them, breaking through the darkness of the tunnels to flash through their windows as their bodies finally relax into a troubled sleep.

_Maybe if we never wake up we can see the sky_


	3. Chapter 3

**Can whoever is reading this and reviewing with the anon name of 'Sherlock' please tell me who they are? Getting weirded out a little because I can't work out who you are. Besides that, enjoy and thanks for reading!**

* * *

Preparations had been intense and painful to say the least. Despite not enjoying the brutal beauty treatments, Katniss had just laid back and allowed the prying hands of the beauticians in the prep room to make her as 'beautiful' as they could. The pain was bearable, but Katniss was able to ignore it and allow her mind to sieve through all the thoughts in her rushed mind. Johanna, however, was already making an impression on the Capitol.

Katniss' was lay on the rather uncomfortable bed of the salon, her head supported by the specially made head rest, tilting her head back perfectly in order for her prep team to begin work on her facial features. Octavia, Katniss' nail artist, sat on a chair besides her, filing her nails down to a perfect curve, mumbling to herself about her colleague being late. Just then, Venia bursts through the doors in a flustered manor, walking around straight to Katniss' head and retrieving the tweezers. Katniss lay there like an ornament, watching the two stylists with no recognition given back to her.

"You should meet that girl from Seven, Octavia!" Venia exclaims as she plucks the first hair from Katniss' brows, causing Katniss to flinch and bite her lip as she attempts to focus on the passing conversation. Plenty of profanities were passing through Katniss' mind, yet she kept them to herself. Octavia only peers up from working on Katniss' nails and quirks a brow, unenthusiastically edging Venia to continue. "She's such a charmer- got me all in a fluster with the compliments. Her eyes and smirk! Oh, she's so charming."

Katniss had never heard of a contestant being so flirtatious with a stylist, and definitely not a female! This was new, and it intrigued Katniss. Something about the way the two stylists spoke about this girl drew her in, making her hungry to find out more, yet she was currently too submissive to contribute to conversation. She'd rather remain quiet.

"Isn't she the one who punched her hair stylist?" Octavia mutters, in deep concentration from the focus she had on Katniss' nails. This caused Katniss to quick her brows, a small huff coming from Venia at the movement of her target before plucking another hair. Katniss grips the bed and clenches her jaw, cursing under her breath. Luckily, Venia was too distracted- glaring at Octavia before chuckling and shaking her head in amusement.

"She did, because he was going to wax her" Venia corrects her and both woman chuckles at the thought. Katniss lay and smirked. This girl sounded like her type of person, besides the tendency to flirt. "Don't laugh!" Venia says, struggling clearly not to do so herself. "Poor Lockheart broke his nose!"

* * *

Johanna was admittedly rather proud of herself as she heads to her assigned room in the tribute apartments. She'd punched some idiot who attempted to wax her, pulled some strings with her stylist (because the poor woman was terrified of her) and managed to make the perfect impression around the Capitol. Before she'd actually been reaped, she always vowed she'd play weak in the games until everybody was weak- then slaughter them all. However, she'd found it significantly hard to disguise the fact she was truly a violent and manipulative woman.

She steps into the suite and sighs with content at the place. The huge area designated for only her district's tributes, mentor and escort. Perfect. The array of liquor and food was enough to water even Johanna's mouth as she steps forward and picks up a bottle of malt whisky. She dismisses their avox and wanders the suite in awe, taking in the beauty of every wall and piece of furniture that surrounded her until she came to a glass slide door leading to the relatively large balcony. She steps onto the patio of the balcony, into the refreshing breeze of the night and slowly walks up to the metal bar which prevented her plummet to death, leaning over it and looking out at the buzzing Capitol, swigging the bottle.

The hum of people cheering and the Capitol's power morphs into one sound and Johanna looks at the apartment building. It was perfectly curved, so that from where Johanna stood, she could look upwards to her left and see Twelve and peer down to her right and she could see One. With another swig of her bottle, she zones out into the darkness, and the confidence buzz she'd previously been experiencing washed off of her and was replaced with a chill of emotions she'd been masking.

Her mind is thrown into endless thoughts of Donnie and Frankie. Her beloved brother who was now alone in this world if Johanna died and the girl who'd confessed her love for her at the worst possible moment. Her hand grips tighter on the railing as she begins to feel uneasy and looks down, the ground spinning below the building, but Johanna just continues to sip from the bottle of forty percent alcohol, knowing it was spinning her into this numb abyss. She remembers the last time she held Donnie in her arms- his screams as he was pulled away from her and his words echoing in her mind. _I don't want you to die. _

Johanna stares at the concrete below the twelve story building. "I could die right now" she mutters to herself, but the sound of Francesca's voice rattles her brain. _I can't lose you, and neither can Donnie. _She groans and runs her trembling fingers through her hair. _But you will _Johanna thinks, shaking her head _like I'm going to win this bullshit game. _Johanna's eyes were now burning with anger as her throat burnt from the endless swigs of alcohol she took. The glass bottle in her hand shattered from the aggressive hold on it.

* * *

Katniss couldn't sleep. Effie had suggested she sleep early due to the busy day tomorrow, but despite it being midnight, she couldn't. Instead she stood on the balcony, allowing the wind to blow through her hair to calm her. It reminded her of home, back on twelve, when she was running through the woodlands with the wind whipping through her hair. Peeta had fallen asleep a while ago, thankfully. She couldn't bare another awkward minute with the baker's boy. She'd already had to put up with him through the journey here and costume fitting, which was more than long enough with the boy.

Katniss was sick of the Capitol already. As she looks over at the glaring city and lights below her, she's sickened. All of this wealth on the Capitol going to waste where districts like seven, eleven and twelve had nothing- could barely feed themselves. The people were as arrogant as their ways, Katniss had discovered. She hadn't taken like to her stylists, besides one- her costume designer- Cinna. She'd spent a while with him earlier, discussing ideas for clothing for the chariot rides, but what had made the best impact on Katniss were Cinna's first words to her. _I'm sorry _in contrary to the usual _congratulations! _She realized that among the array of idiotic Capitol citizens and bloodthirsty tributes were the odd gem of a decent person.

Katniss misses her family incredibly, and knows she will miss them right up until she dies, but doesn't dwell on the thought. There were twenty four other people among her who probably felt the exact same way. Well, eighteen, being as the careers probably didn't care.

Katniss' attention snaps away as she hears glass smashing. She looks down to her right at the different balconies that spiralled downwards and caught sight of a rather frustrated girl who had enviably just smashed a bottle of something on her balcony. She doesn't tear her eyes away as she observes the girl lean over her balcony, arms folded on the cool metal and her head in her arms. If Katniss looked closely, she could watch the girl's shoulder hitch with a sob. Chewing on her lip, Katniss counts how many balconies down the girl was on until she realizes this is the infamous girl from seven whom Octavia and Venia were gossiping about earlier. The girl whom was apparently such a flirt she had Octavia blushing and punched her stylist was now crying over her balcony, and despite her current numb mood, Katniss couldn't help feeling sorry for the girl.

Johanna was intoxicated to say the least. She clutched the balcony and takes a deep breath, choking on dry sobs as she hauls herself over the railing to step on the small ledge on the other side of it, looking down at the dark ground. Katniss grips her balcony and goes to call, but the breath gets stuck in her throat when she realizes what the girl's intention was. She just gasped, open mouthed at the scene in front of her. The wind whipped Johanna's face and her legs trembled, threatening to give way if Johanna didn't jump.

"**Stop!"** Katniss finally calls loudly over the roar of the city and Johanna's head whips to her right, looking up, dazed, at where the sound came from. Her eyes take a moment to focus on the girl who'd yelled. She registered the girl's braid, but her eyes refused to focus on the figure. Johanna's heart was thudding in her rib cage and she turned to grip the balcony, reconsidering her choice. "Don't do it!" Katniss continues desperately "Please!" The desperation in the girl's voice was something Johanna couldn't resist. She sounded like she'd shatter if she witnessed what Johanna was about to do, so the lumberjack hauls herself over the railing once more, looking up at the girl who'd saved her with words. Katniss returns the gaze, soaking in the girl's distant features now they were facing her. Watery eyes lit up by the multicoloured tones of the Capitol and her desirable lips pressed in an emotional straight line. She had shoulder length black hair, and Katniss swore she saw a tint of blood red among her fringe. In all honesty, Katniss thought the girl was beautiful, until she staggers away back into the suite, leaving Katniss to stand in shock of what had just happened and what her mind had just thought.

* * *

Katniss stands besides her chariot horse, caressing down its nose and scratching at its ears comfortingly, feeding it a sugar cube every now and then. She blocks herself off from the rest of the world, just her and the horse, who couldn't judge her or mutter things about her behind her back that could potentially decide her fate. Everyone else was lingering around their chariots too- but Katniss couldn't dare look at them. Ever since last night's events, she'd been terrified of the other contestants and what they're capable of. Whether brutally slaughtering others or themselves.

"How did we get here?" She mutters to the horse, the tame animal resting its head over her shoulder. Katniss scratches down the silky black coat of the horses' neck and smiles softly to herself. It was a strange form of comfort, but it worked. That was until she felt a hesitant tap on her shoulder.

Johanna had been watching Katniss for a while, expressionless, leant against her chariot. She'd been eyeing the girl for a while now, growing more certain that she was the girl who'd practically saved her last night from the trap of this mad world. She was worn out completely- hung over and deteriorated emotionally after drowning her sorrows last night- hoping this day wouldn't come for good. She lingered until she heard someone declare it was ten minutes until the chariots set off before she moved, slowly approaching the district twelve girl. She taps her hesitantly on the shoulder.

Now the girl was facing her, eyeing her face until realization washes over her. It was the girl from last night- with those same desirable lips and glistening eyes which, on more careful observation, Katniss noted were a brilliant shade of green; perfect match for where she came from. Katniss was speechless, with no idea how to begin the conversation with the woman she'd watched almost commit suicide last night, so she just allows her eyes to drop over the girl's body. She wasn't wearing a dress, but instead wore a men's style two piece, like Peeta. It had golden leaves wrapping around her waist to over her shoulder, contrasting against the deep black of the suit. When the light hit from different angles, the leaves changed from golden to green. Johanna notices the girl looking at her suit and smiles a little, clearing her throat awkwardly.

"They wanted me dressed as a tree. A dress which appeared to be a tree- like the district seven tributes always have done, but I decided to mix it up a little, defy tradition" she offers a weak and clearly pained smile. Katniss could see the ache and hurt still lingering in her eyes and she chews her lips, not being able to tear away from the intoxicating eyes. Despite being broken, this girl seemed to be something so beautiful beyond that.

"Well, it's certainly a nice change" Katniss says after a moment of realizing her reply was postponed, and clears her throat after realizing it had a raspy tone to it. Johanna bit her lip. This girl was so stunning. She was wearing a tight black suit with some sort of protective system over the shoulders. Knowing Katniss had Cinna, Johanna gathered it bestowed a hidden secret. The suit hugged her curves perfectly, and Johanna licks her lips before speaking up again, meeting the girls deep brown eyes.

"Thanks" she mutters, lowering her voice despite the fact nobody else was around to hear their conversation. Immediately, Katniss knew what Johanna was referring to and finds herself placing a confident hand on Johanna's hip, despite not feeling confident whatsoever. She tilts her head to the side and attempts to catch Johanna's eyes once more, being as the girl's eyes had shamefully dropped to the ground.

"Hey" Katniss whispers, "I couldn't let you jump. I know we don't have much to live for right now, but I just couldn't let you. You're worth more than that, Seven" Katniss wasn't aware where her words were coming from, they just thoughtlessly spilt from her lips, but they caused Johanna to sniff and look up into her eyes once more. She frowns at the fact she'd called this girl 'seven' after what'd happened, but couldn't think of her name. Realization then hits her- this was the girl Octavia and Venia had been discussing. "You're Johanna, right? You punched your stylist? I'm Katniss" she introduced awkwardly.

"Indeed, and I did. He deserved it, too" Johanna smirks before a serious expression forms on her features again. "Well, Katniss, thank you for saving me" Johanna whispers once more, nodding and looking down at the touch on her waist as it sent sparks through her body. She feels eyes on her and peers up, looking around until she saw Peeta and Cinna standing, waiting to talk to Katniss. She clears her throat and pulls back, awkwardly motioning behind her. "I-I bet to go" she stutters before mentally hitting herself for being so hesitant and nervous. She takes a step backwards and gives a more confident smile, bordering a smirk. "Good luck" she nods, "Maybe catch you later?" Johanna found herself winking the last sentence, so turned on her heels before she could visibly flush. She makes her way back to the chariots, pulling herself inside.

Katniss stood flushing, without an idea of why she was doing so, before turning to Cinna. The stylist passes her a small hand-held remote and tells her to click it when she was ready for the artificial flame to take hold. She nods, and gets into the chariot besides Peeta, allowing the horses to carry them slowly off to the entrance- the sound of Claudius Templesmith and Caesar Flickerman announcing the tribute parade for the 74th annual Hunger Games and the first few chariots begin to make their way into the tunnel of echoes screams and cheers until they're exposed into the grand arena, released into the love and cheer of the Capitol Citizens.

As the jet black horses carry the twelve chariot, Katniss looks around in astonishment, absorbing everything that was going on until she sees Johanna's face on the screen. The girl had somehow managed to change from the worn and tired girl she'd seen minutes ago into what appeared to be a fearless and violent tribute, glaring down the camera viciously. When Katniss sees her own face on the screen, she recalls the small remote in her hand and squeezes it, her back igniting into artificial flame- eliciting a roar of cheer from the crowd and gasps of surprise from the two eccentric men presenting.

She smirks to herself, but the smirk soon drops when her hand is grasped by Peeta. She looks to her side at the blonde boy and pulls her hand back only to have it snatched in his again "Come on, they'll love it" he says and Katniss reluctantly gives him her hand, lifting their arms up together, causing the uproar of the crowd to intensify.

Johanna's chariot stops, and she peers to the side at Katniss' chariot, scowling at the entwined hands of Katniss and Peeta- haven formed a defensive, fierce mask over her true emotion. The lumberjack looks up and locks eyes with the girl on fire, her glare never faltering. Something inside Katniss changed- something in the pit of her stomach- a somewhat spectrum between what she could only define as fear and lust. Katniss looks at the ground. Was she lusting over another woman? She couldn't be. Katniss loved Gale. Gale was the one. She couldn't desire another girl. Katniss tells herself its no good for her over and over, attempts to think of Gale back home, but the desire for the other girl doesn't leave.

Little did Katniss know, it never will.


	4. Chapter 4

Katniss flinches at every sound of a weapon piercing deep into a training dummy. Day two of this and she was still shaken by the sound of implied death. She strolls through the training center as calmly as she could muster; taking deep breaths as she absorbs her surroundings and registers each skill she could train over the next week. Today was the first day of being allowed to train however each individual wanted (being as yesterday was an induction to training). The canter offered so many different forms of combat that the place would be a somewhat training paradise, if it wasn't for the other tributes.

Ever since the tribute parade, Katniss had been studying the other tributes ferociously. The girl from the luxurious district one was named Glimmer. The name always makes Katniss chuckle; a name so elegant for someone so viciously bloodthirsty. She was deadly with a knife and almost as skilled as Katniss with a bow. She posed potential threat, but mainly because of the people she was obviously going to ally with, including the boy from her district. The boys name was Marvel, and Katniss had indeed marvelled over his skill. The blonde boy, whom framed a face seemingly too wise for these games, was a trained killer with spears, throwing axes and kukris. He and Glimmer could form a deadly duo alone.

However, then there were the tributes from two. Katniss had never felt so intimidated in her life. Not even the most wicked people at the capitol could boil Katniss' blood as much as these two. Clove and Cato. The pair sickened Katniss with their evil, judgemental smirks and impossible skill and attraction to ruthless murder. The list of weapons each could handle was endless and just peering at them now as they stood arms folded turned Katniss' stomach. They were stood with their perfect allies, Glimmer and Marvel. Their alliance wasn't announced but Katniss wasn't stupid. Nobody talks to one another unless they intend on forming an alliance.

The rest of the tributes didn't seem to pose a threat. Majority were helpless fourteen and fifteen year olds who were too shaken with fear to hold a weapon successfully. Katniss had thankfully been informed of all their stories. Although, there was something about the district eleven tributes this year which made them stand out from the crowd. The boy, Thresh, was the average brutal tribute. He was heavily built and savage, but exposed a kind side when helping the girl from his district. He was clearly proud of her and impressed of the skill one so young had for survival. Rue is only 12- the youngest here. She's targeted as easy meat, but seems to have agility on her side. Yesterday, she stole Cato's knife and held onto the ceiling mast as Cato shamelessly framed everybody around him. The small girl fascinated her. She vaguely reminded her of Prim, but Katniss shakes that thought from her mind every time she thinks it.

Katniss turns around and leans against a wall, looking out at all the others. She wasn't supposed to be informed about them as much as she was, but it helped to have a sneaky and rebellious potential ally.

A smirk spread across her lips as Katniss watches Johanna approach her, handing her a kukri with a playful grin. Katniss doesn't tear her eyes from Johanna's face for a moment. The girl looked so at home and comfortable here that it actually saddened Katniss. It wasn't right for someone to have such a terrible home life that they enjoyed training for slaughter. Johanna had only told her parts of her story over the passing days, and it already broke Katniss' heart. Her story was nothing in comparison to the lumberjacks. She finally looked at the foreign object in her hand and frowns. It seemed to be some type of dagger or cleaver, just more precisely designed for fatal wounding.

"And this is?" Katniss asks, feeling rather uncomfortable holding something so dangerous. A bow was enough for her, but Johanna insisted on training her with other weapons, being as Johanna herself was an extremely skilled assassin.

"A kukri" Johanna shrugs. "Perfect for getting right into the vital organs" the girl adds a wink to the end of her sentence which makes Katniss' heart flutter, but she'd never admit it. The desire for Johanna hadn't fazed away yet, but Katniss was still convinced it was merely confusion or a phase.

Johanna was one of a kind. Even if Katniss didn't have these strange feelings towards the girl, she'd still admit that she was as skilled as the careers- if not more so. However, unlike them, Johanna prefers to train privately, so nobody else sees her skill; except for Katniss. Johanna's fellow tribute was named Ling. He preferred to use his mind as a weapon instead of his body. He'd spent most of his time crafting traps. Johanna had utterly disregarded him, similar to what Katniss had done with Peeta, who stood out of place in a corner, painting onto his arm.

Katniss snaps from her thoughts and shrugs. "I prefer just using my bow" she says to Johanna, whom gave a guffaw and shakes her head.

"I need to get you using other weapons. There's plenty here. Trust me, the more you know, the deadlier you are" Johanna says with a wise tone to her voice. Katniss had already accepted that beneath her obviously arousing fighting skills lay a rather intelligent and wounded girl. It just drew her into the girl more. She shrugs and looks at the weapon, testing its weight before looking up at Johanna confidently.

"Teach me" Katniss says certainly, stepping closer to Johanna. "Teach me how to throw axes and these things, teach me how to use knives and axes and spears and tridents." The sudden eagerness took Johanna by surprise, yet she smirks and nods, taking Katniss by the wrist and leading her past the career pack to the shooting range target where she pulls out her kukri and throws it at the target without a moment of studying- hitting it right in the chest. The careers slowly turn to look at her, baffled by the sudden exposed skill they were unaware of. Johanna turns to smirk at them, flashing a wink before focusing her attention back on Katniss.

"Basically" Johanna begins, the careers turning away from her and muttering. "You just really get a feel for the weapon; feel its weight and how it will travel through the air, then..." Johanna moves to stand behind Katniss, taking her arm in her hand and raising it carefully, resting her chin on Katniss' shoulder as she looks down her arm. The feel of Johanna's body pressed so firmly against hers with nothing but the skin tight suits separating them made Katniss' body burn and her breath hitch. "Breathe deep and slow. Focus, and..." Johanna guides Katniss' arm to throw the kukri, hitting the target in the shoulder.

Katniss curses below her breath at her miss but Johanna shrugs and smiles softly at the girl "Good shot" she says reassuringly "the shoulder is actually a rather sensitive place. If hit in the right places, it can paralyze the person's arm or pierce into some organs"

Katniss gazes at Johanna and licks her lips subconsciously, amazed by the girls astounding knowledge. She manages to struggle a nod; battling against her inner- and somewhat outer- emotions and feelings. The longing to ask Johanna to formally be her ally was boiling inside of her. She knew the girl was her best chance of survival and truthfully didn't wish to leave her side nonetheless. The only dilemma was Peeta. He was already considered to be a weakling. Despite his displays of strength, the careers viewed him as pathetic and an easy target. They were planning on attacking him first, and Katniss knew it. So there he was, blending himself into the background like he does best. Katniss admittedly felt rather sorry for the lonesome boy. There was a part of her that wished to ally with him for the sake of good manners, but her desires to team up with Johanna were too strong. Still, whenever Katniss attempted to invite Johanna to be her alliance, an unmovable lump formed in her throat for her to choke on.

As Katniss separates herself from Johanna in order to go and observe the weapon array, she discovers herself turning to look subtly at Johanna. Her gaze lures up her legs, her toned and muscular thighs to her perfectly rounded ass... Katniss looks away as quickly as she had started and clears her throat, a sickening feeling stirring in the pit of her stomach from these unexplored feelings mustering inside of her. _I'm just confused _Katniss tells herself certainly as she picks up the lightweight bow, feeling the passion for the hunt run through her at the comfort of the oh so familiar weapon. _I've never felt like this about a boy, so I can't feel it for a girl. I'm just confused. _Katniss herself knew her explanation was utter nonsense.

She sighs in defeat, her thoughts and urges being too confusing to dwindle upon. She loads the bow and turns to aim at the shooting range target Johanna had effortlessly penetrated with the kukri. The blade was still strongly erect from the heart area, so Katniss aims for the center of the head, releasing a shaky breath before assuring her measurements were all correct and releasing the bow elegantly. The arrow flies at least twenty meters through the air before piercing the target perfectly between the eyes. The action didn't only attract the attention of the eagle eyed careers but Johanna too, who turns and smirks, slowly walking up to Katniss once more to invade her personal space. "Maybe we should keep you with your bow" she winks playfully, a cool shiver tingling down Katniss' body. She nods and flashes a weak smile.

"I think that's a good idea" Katniss says, looking around the training center slowly at all the 24 tributes. Twenty of them, Katniss decided, would be easy to kill- mentally, that is. Killing anybody physically was hard, but Katniss reckons she'd be able to cope with the murder of twenty of these tributes. However, killing Peeta would be challenging for her emotions, being as the boy was from her district. Then there was Rue, whom Katniss found herself feeling a motherly instant over, but no matter how much she despised the thought of killing either of them, the seductive girl in front of her posed the biggest challenge. No matter how much she thought through the situation in her mind, Katniss never felt comfortable in the slightest with the thought of taking Johanna's life.

Before she could register her actions, Katniss had taken Johanna gently by the wrist, ignoring the way the other girl flinched in pain and recording a mental note to ask her why her wrist hurt later. Katniss lets out a breathy chuckle and meets the deep green eyes of the other girl, the words travelling up her throat but not coming out correctly. "I- uh" she chokes out, suddenly becoming nervous. "I never formally asked you but... I just gathered so, but yeah... I was wandering if- if..." Johanna chuckles at the girls stuttering and bites her lip, flicking her brows expectantly in order to usher the girl on with what she was saying. "Will you be my ally?" Katniss finally says in a hushed tone, so nobody lingering around would hear.

Johanna smirks and frees her wrist from Katniss' grasp, fingers teasingly trailing up her arm, causing Katniss to visibly shiver. "Why, when you're so clearly scared of my primal instinct?" the dark haired girl winks. _I'm not scared,_ Katniss thinks with a frown on her face, _just aroused. _"-but yes, twelve, I will."

The relief floods from Katniss at those words and she nods, smiling. "Okay, great" she says, pulling herself reluctantly back from Johanna's addictive touch, her body burning under the shameless gaze of Johanna. Her arm now felt cold where Johanna's hand had been. She needed her touch, wanted more of it, in more places. Katniss swallows thickly and places the streamline bow back, her ears pricking as she hears words spill from Johanna's lips.

" _We'll be unbeatable."_


End file.
